In many circumstances, an attraction will have a limited capacity for people to gain access to it at any specific time. For instance, a ride at an amusement park may only have a certain number of seats. It is preferable that access be managed to use the attraction as efficiently as possible. Queues and lines are well known ways of managing this access. However, potential users of the attraction may become bored queuing in a line. Managing access to the resource to use the attraction efficiently, whilst satisfying its potential and actual users, is therefore a particular difficulty.
An existing approach divides the people who wish to access the attraction into two groups. A first group of people is arranged into a physical queue at a first access point for the attraction. Each member of the second group of people is informed of an allotted time slot when they can access the attraction. In order to access the attraction, a member of the second group need only be physically present at a second access point for the attraction, at their allotted time slot. The time slot is selected such that the second group of people can gain access to the attraction without waiting in a long queue at the second access point. The size of the first group of people may be greater than or equal to zero.
One system according to this general approach provides the second group of people with paper tickets. As these tickets set a fixed time for use of the attraction, this system may not easily allow efficient use of the attraction when its throughput changes.
An alternative system according to this general approach is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,529,786. This system provides the second group of people with handheld units, which are referred to as Q-bots. These are used to make and complete reservations. The Q-bots comprise a short range transmitter for sending a unique identification code, and a receiver. To make a reservation to gain access to a particular attraction, a Q-bot is scanned or docked at a reservation or entry point. The Q-bot makes a record of this reservation and the reservation is communicated to a queue manager. For each reservation, the queue manager determines a time when the person making the reservation should access the attraction, based on the throughput and demand for the attraction.
This time may advantageously be changed by the queue manager when the throughput or demand for the attraction changes. For instance, seats may be added or removed from the attraction, or the attraction may be closed for a short time. The queue manager is coupled to a transmitter. For each reservation, the queue manager transmits a signal to the Q-bot having a record of the reservation to instruct the person carrying the Q-bot to access the attraction at the determined time.
This system is better than that using paper tickets. However, it has a number of problems. Firstly, the person using the Q-bot has to be physically present at a reservation or entry point to make a reservation. Also, this system requires that the signal sent by the transmitter coupled to the queue manager has sufficient range such that all of the Q-bots are capable of receiving this signal. A queue manager may only be able to communicate with a limited number of Q-bots without disrupting the effective management of the system, by losing communication with Q-bots. Hence, more than one queue manager may be required. This system therefore requires a comprehensive fixed infrastructure.